The Useless Critic 2.0

Kreayshawn’s “Somethin Bout Kreay” is she going away yet? by Sarah Mantione The internet sensation, Kreayshawn (Natassia Zolot), has finally released her debut album, “Somethin Bout Kreay,” on Sept. 18 this year after the sixteen-month lapse from the time her "Gucci Gucci" single was posted on YouTube in 2011. It is a hip-hop album influenced by her eclectic musical tastes and several songs are a nod to the free-style rap that she grew up idolizing.  The wait for most fans has meant a loss of interest and sales are particularly disappointing. With only about 3,900 albums sold in the first week, it seems unlikely Columbia will be willing to sign another contract with the 23 year old. Her current rank on the U.S. chart is #112. Not the expected outcome for a woman who garnered over 38 million views on her first music video release.  The album has a decent level of youthful energy and is obviously meant to be taken at face value without too much thought going int...

My Fabulous, Unemployed Life: The Soundtrack (by Lizabeth Rogers, guest writer)  Not so long ago, this dolly was workin’ 9 to 6. Makin’ important phone calls and strivin’ to meet team goals. I followed a fancy block schedule and attended bourgie company meetings. I took my job seriously — and thus, my coffee intravenously, and my Prozac before bedtime. I was fighting surmounting stress, frustration, and my own post-baccalaureate reluctance to having a job that required a headset, when I had a revelation: I’m 23; shit’s not that real. I drew a line in the sand, my friends. I made  an executive decision, in the name of my young happiness, to dive [with the intensity with which I had often wished (at 9:05 on Mondays) to dive into a tequila shot] into the perilous waters of unemployment. Dolly says, “Stick it to the man.” I have yet to apologize. Between coupon-clipping and vacuuming naked, I’ve compiled my top songs for the gainfully unemployed spirit. Like any mix tape,...